CATERING facilities at Rossendale's new £12million health hub have been branded 'unacceptable' by a former midwife.

Rehab patients have been told that catering facilities at the new health centre in Bacup Road, Rawtenstall, are not large enough for cooked food, meaning only sandwiches are being served.

Bosses at East Lancashire Hospital NHS Trust say they are now considering introducing hot soup for day patients after a series of complaints.

Coun Gladys Sandiford, the borough’s deputy mayor and a former midwife, said: “We went to see the facilities at Pendle Community Hospital in Nelson and they were given a hot meal at lunchtime.

"We said that we want that for people in Rossendale.”

Neil Upson, East Lancashire Hospital’s divisional general manager for medicine, said the kitchen facilities were not large enough to prepare hot meals.

He said: “While patients attend these rehabilitation day centres on average once or twice a week, we recognise the value of a hot accompaniment to these sandwiches and therefore we are considering the introduction of hot soup.”